The full story behind Lorde's new single Green Light
Lorde - Green Light
MistaJam's Hottest Record In The World for Thursday 2nd March 2017.
new single Green Light is a new addition to the Radio 1 playlist, landing on the A list less than 24 hours after the New Zealand star released the track.
Green Light is her first solo music in three years and is the first single from her second album.
Here's the full story of the song and the people who brought it all together.
The inspiration
(Warning: Third party video may contain adverts)
Green Light was written after Lorde split from her long-term boyfriend James Lowe. They are believed to have separated in late 2015 and Lorde told Radio 1's Mistajam that this was when she started writing her second album.
This song is a break up song, even though it doesn't sound like a break up songLorde
"I started writing the album about my proper year of adulthood. I moved out of my parent's house in New Zealand and into my own house," she said.
"I went through a breakup and had my heart broken. This song is a break up song, even though it doesn't sound like a break up song.
"It's about me trying to put myself back together and move on and that's the start of the record, the rebuild."
She performed a tribute at the 2016 Brit Awards and says he was a constant presence in the studio when she was recording her new album.
"I feel like this whole time spent writing this record I had him in my thoughts, i've had him in my heart," she said.
"It's hard to make something and not think: 'What would David think of this? If I could play it to him, what would he say?'"
The album
Green Light is Lorde's first single from her second album, Melodrama.
She worked with Jack Antonoff on most of the record and says the two of them became "best friends" during the recording process.
Already, Green Light is the most upbeat single of Lorde's short career having previously hinted at a more upbeat, "party" album in a Facebook post in November 2016.
"Writing Pure Heroine was my way of enshrining our teenage glory, putting it up in lights forever so that part of me never dies," she told fans.
"This record - well, this one is about what comes next.
"The party is about to start. I am about to show you the new world."
Lorde visited Radio 1 in February 2016 to perform Yellow Flicker Beat
The song
Green Light was co-written by Jack Antonoff, a former member of the band and partner of actress Lena Denham.
Jack is the lead singer of US indie band , who have scored minor hits in America but his real success has come from writing hits for others.
Jack wrote Out Of The Woods for , Stand By You by and I Don't Wanna Live Forever by Taylor and . He has also written songs for , , and .
Here's one of Jack's own hits, I Wanna Get Better.
(Warning: Third party video may contain adverts)
The artwork
The album artwork was painted by American painter Sam McKinniss, who has also painted some of pop's coolest stars (among other work).
His recent paintings of and are among our favourites.
The video
Lorde worked with video producer Grant Singer on the video for Green Light, which was shot in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles.
I am obsessed with her performance in the video, her dancing and everythingGrant Singer
Grant previously shot Zayn and Taylor's I Don't Wanna Live Forever video, Starboy by The Weeknd, Let Me Love You by Ariana Grande and many more. He's full of praise for Lorde after working together on her comeback.
"I am obsessed with her performance in the video, her dancing and everything," he says in an .
"I see her dancing and her vocal performance as completely interconnected and they're like one and she loses herself in the music."
He praises her improvised performance and says the success of the video is due to the fact that the pair spent time together in New York getting to know each other months before shooting the clip.
"One of the strengths of the video probably comes from the fact that she and I got to know each other before shooting together," he says.
"It wasn’t like we emailed twice or we texted three times and then I meet her for the first time on set. It wasn’t like that.
"I got to meet her as a person and that really helps when you’re making a music video."
The fans
Green Light has been met with a lot of love on air and online, with major celebs sharing their love for the tune online.
Katy Perry
Diplo
Taylor Swift
Charli XCX
Troye Sivan
Clara Amfo
Green Light by Lorde is on the Radio 1 playlist now
